11. Bella #3
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the officiant says, “I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Sterling.”
Mrs. Sterling. I’m Mrs. Sterling now. The thought fills me with joy.
The reception is held inside the cabin, with a simple dinner and champagne (sparkling cider for me). We eat and laugh and celebrate, and I feel more loved and cherished than I ever have in my life.
When it’s time for toasts, Hunter stands up first.
“I’ve known Adrian for fifteen years,” he says, “and I’ve never seen him as happy as he is with Bella.
She’s brought out the best in him, made him softer and kinder and more human.
Bella, thank you for loving my best friend.
And Adrian, thank you for finally finding someone who can put up with you. ”
Everyone laughs, and Adrian raises his glass in acknowledgment.
Then Sarah stands up, and I can see she’s already tearing up.
“Bella is the strongest person I know,” Sarah says. “She’s been through hell and back, and she’s come out the other side even more amazing than before. Adrian, you’re a lucky man. Take care of her, love her, cherish her. Because she deserves nothing less.”
“I will,” Adrian promises, squeezing my hand.
After dinner, Adrian and I have our first dance as husband and wife. We sway together to a soft, romantic song, and I rest my head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
“I love you, Mrs. Sterling,” Adrian murmurs.
“I love you too, Mr. Sterling,” I reply.
“Thank you for marrying me,” Adrian says. “Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for giving me this life.”
“Thank you for saving me,” I say. “Thank you for showing me what real love looks like. Thank you for being my partner, my protector, my everything.”
We dance until the song ends, and then we dance some more, lost in each other, in this moment, in the perfect beginning of our life together.
Later that night, after our guests have left and we’re alone in the cabin, Adrian carries me over the threshold of the bedroom.
“I can walk, you know,” I say, laughing.
“I know,” Adrian says, setting me gently on the bed. “But I wanted to do this properly. To start our marriage off right.”
He kneels in front of me, his hands on my stomach, and presses a kiss to where our baby is growing.
“Hello, little one,” he says softly. “Today your mom and I got married. We’re a family now, officially. And I promise you, I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you and your mother are loved and protected and happy.”
I feel tears streaming down my face as I watch him. This man, this incredible man, is my husband. The father of my child. My partner for life.
“Come here,” I say, pulling him up to me.
We make love as husband and wife for the first time, and it’s tender and passionate and perfect.
Later, once we’re back home, just for fun we take it to the place it all started.
The office. My office and my desk. Being the boss’s wife has its perks, I suppose because I was able to order everyone to leave so we could have the place to ourselves.
He bends me over it just like he did that first night.
Only this time, I don’t call him boss, I call him husband. And I also don’t hold in my screams, don’t try to keep quiet in the least bit.
“Are you going to be a good little wife for me?” he croons in my ear.
“Probably not,” I tease, worrying at my lower lip with my teeth. Amusement filters into my husband’s eyes. “It’s way more fun to be bad,” I purr.
“Then you know what that means,” he says, this entire conversation being had while he’s still inside me, and I’m bent over the desk with my arousal seeping down my thighs.
“You have to punish me?” I ask leadingly, my eyes sparkling with just a hint of mischief.
Okay, fine. A lot more than a hint.
“Exactly,” he says smugly and then his hand comes down hard on my ass, hard enough to leave a mark, and in particular, a red welt the exact size and shape of his brand new wedding ring.
Afterward, as we lie tangled together in the office, I feel a sense of peace and contentment that I’ve never experienced before.
“I can’t believe this is my life,” I say softly. “A year ago, I was running from a wedding, broken and lost. And now I’m here, married to you, carrying your child, happier than I ever thought possible.”
“Life has a way of surprising us,” Adrian says, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on my back. “Sometimes the worst moments lead to the best outcomes.”
“I wouldn’t change anything,” I say. “Not the pain, not the betrayal, not any of it. Because it all led me to you.”
“I feel the same way,” Adrian says. “Every choice I’ve made, every path I’ve taken, it all led me to this moment. To you. And I wouldn’t change a single thing.”
We fall asleep like that, wrapped in each other’s arms, husband and wife, partners for life. And as I drift off, I think about how sometimes, the greatest love stories are the ones that start with heartbreak.
Because it’s only when we’re broken that we can be rebuilt into something stronger, something better, something more beautiful than we ever were before.